1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterproof connector of the type in which a connector housing has a terminal accommodation chamber sealed at a wire-outlet end with a xe2x80x9cbody of soft sealing materialxe2x80x9d (hereafter simply called xe2x80x9csoft sealing materialxe2x80x9d), and to a waterproofing method for the waterproof connector.
2. Description of Relevant Art
There have been disclosed waterproof connectors of such a type in U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,692, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 64-63282, and Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open Publication No. 4-101280.
A conventional waterproof connector of this type comprises a housing in which terminal accommodation chambers are formed, terminals connected to ends of electric wires and accommodated in the terminal accommodation chambers, and a soft sealing material for sealing the terminal accommodation chambers. The soft sealing material comprises a body of a gel, such as of silicon, and comes in tight contact with an inner wall of the housing and outer circumferences of the wires, thereby preventing water from invading the terminal accommodation chambers along the outer circumferences of the wires and the inner wall of the housing.
The soft sealing material is fitted at a wire-outlet side of the housing, and is prevented from slipping out of the housing by a retainer inserted and fixed in a rear end portion of the housing. The soft sealing. material has a plurality of slits formed therethrough for passing the terminals connected to the wires.
For assembling the terminals to the housing, first, the soft sealing material is inserted in the housing through an opening at the wire-outlet side, to be accommodated therein under pressure, thus tight contacting on an inner wall of the housing. Next, the retainer is inserted and fixed in the rear end portion of the housing, thereby preventing the soft sealing material from slipping off.
Then, the terminals are applied to the slits and forced therethrough, displacing sealing material on the way, and are inserted and fixed in the terminal accommodation chambers.
The wires follow the terminals, and extend through the slits. At this time, the soft sealing material is allowed to occupy gaps around the wires, and the slits close, contacting on the outer circumferences of the wires.
Water is thus prevented from invading the terminal accommodation chambers along the outer circumferences of the wires and the inner wall of the housing.
As the terminals are forced forward in the slits, they tend scrape the soft sealing material, carrying scraps of soft sealing material, which is an insulating material, to the terminal accommodation chambers. When the terminals are connected to mating terminals, such scraps intervene in between, constituting an obstacle to an ensured electrical contact.
As the soft sealing material is scraped by the terminals, the sealing nature also is deteriorated.
The present invention has been achieved with such points in view.
It therefore is an object of the present invention to provide a waterproof connector and a waterproofing method therefor, permitting the connector to be free of scrapes of a soft sealing material by a terminal, as well as of scraps of the soft sealing material carried in a terminal accommodation chamber.
To achieve the object, an aspect of the invention provides a waterproof connector which comprises a terminal connected to an electric wire, a housing having a chamber for accommodating the terminal and an outlet for passing the electric wire, a soft sealing body for sealing the outlet with a sealing configuration thereof the soft sealing body having a hole for the terminal to be inserted therethrough to the chamber, and in which the soft sealing body is deformed from an initial configuration thereof, where the hole has a sectional dimension smaller than a corresponding dimension of the terminal, via an intermediate configuration thereof, where the hole has a sectional dimension larger than the corresponding dimension of the terminal, to the sealing configuration, where the hole has an identical section to the electric wire.
According to the aspect of the invention, a sectional dimension of the hole in the initial configuration of the soft sealing body will constitute an obstacle if one tries to force through the hole the terminal which has a corresponding dimension larger than the sectional dimension. However, one can wait for the intermediate configuration on a way of deformation of the soft sealing body, where the hole has a sectional dimension larger than the corresponding dimension, and one can make use of this sectional dimension to let the terminal through the hole without scraping the soft sealing body nor carrying scraps thereof, before the soft sealing body has the sealing configuration in which the hole has an identical section to the electric wire, which wire is thus sealed.
The waterproof connector may preferably comprise an expanding member for expanding the hole to effect the deformation of the soft sealing material, or an insert forced into the soft sealing body to effect the deformation.
Further, to achieve the object, another aspect of the invention provides a waterproofing method for a waterproof connector including a terminal connected to an electric wire, a housing having a chamber for accommodating the terminal and an outlet for passing the electric wire, and a soft sealing body for sealing the outlet with a sealing configuration thereof, the soft sealing body having a hole for the terminal to be inserted therethrough to the cahmber. The waterproofing method comprises the step of deforming the soft sealing body from an initial configuration thereof, where the hole has a sectional dimension smaller than a corresponding dimenstion of the terminal, via an intermediate configuration thereof, where the hole has a sectional dimension larger than the corresponding dimension of the terminal, to the sealing configuration, where the hole has an identical section to the electric wire.
According to this aspect also, there can be achieved like effects to that aspect of the invention.